Thursday, May 29, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-New York Jets WR Eric Decker

Check out my latest 2014 fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, taking a closer look at WR Eric Decker upon his offseason signing with the New York Jets.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/29/2014-fantasy-football-profile-wr-eric-decker/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Arizona Cardinals RB Andre Ellington

Check out my latest fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, featuring Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/29/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-andre-ellington/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy

Check out my latest 2014 fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, looking at Green Bay Packers RB Eddie Lacy.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/29/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-eddie-lacy/

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-New Orleans Saints TE Jimmy Graham

My latest post at Rant Sports....

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/28/2014-fantasy-football-profile-te-jimmy-graham/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Washington Redskins WR Pierre Garcon

Check out my latest 2014 fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, taking a closer look at Washington Redskins WR Pierre Garcon.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/28/2014-fantasy-football-profile-wr-pierre-garcon/

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Timberwolves-Predicting the Starting Five for 2014-2015

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, my attempt to predict the Minnesota Timberwolves' starting five for next season.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2014/05/28/predicting-the-minnesota-timberwolves-starting-five-for-next-season/

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Indianapolis Colts RB Trent Richardson

Check out my latest 2014 fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, focusing on Trent Richardson.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/27/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-trent-richardson/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Kansas City Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles

Check out my latest 2014 fantasy football profile at Rant Sports, taking a look at Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/27/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-jamaal-charles/

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Twins OF Aaron Hicks Stops Switch-Hitting

My latest post at Rant Sports, looking at the decision by Minnesota Twins OF Aaron Hicks to become a right-handed hitter and it's future implications.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2014/05/27/minnesota-twins-aaron-hicks-makes-rash-decision-to-quit-switch-hitting/

Friday, May 23, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Seattle Seahawks WR Percy Harvin

Check out my latest fantasy football post at Rant Sports...

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/23/2014-fantasy-football-profile-wr-percy-harvin/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews

Here's my latest fantasy football post at Rant Sports, as I try to determine the chances San Diego Chargers RB Ryan Mathews has to repeat his 2013 success this coming season.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/23/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-ryan-mathews/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Houston Texans RB Arian Foster

Please check out my latest fantasy football post at Rant Sports, looking at Arian Foster's chances to re-establish himself in 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/23/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-arian-foster/

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 NBA Draft-5 Players the Minnesota Timberwolves Should Target at No. 13

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, offering five players the Minnesota Timberwolves should target at No. 13 overall in June's draft.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2014/05/22/2014-nba-draft-5-players-the-minnesota-timberwolves-should-target-at-no-13/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck

Check out my latest fantasy football post at Rant Sports, my attempt to lock down Andrew Luck's outlook for 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/22/2014-fantasy-football-profile-qb-andrew-luck/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte

Check out my latest post at Rant Sports, a fantasy football outlook for Chicago Bears RB Matt Forte in 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/22/2014-fantasy-football-profile-rb-matt-forte/

Rant Sports.com: The Minnesota Twins' 5 Most Irreplaceable Players Right Now

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, offering the five most irreplaceable players for the Minnesota Twins so far this season.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2014/05/22/the-minnesota-twins-5-most-irreplaceable-players-right-now/

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Profile-Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

Check out my latest fantasy football post at Rant Sports, looking at Aaron Rodgers for 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/21/2014-fantasy-football-profile-qb-aaron-rodgers/

Rant Sports.com: Fantasy Football 2014 Rookie Outlook-Denver Broncos WR Cody Latimer

Check out my latest post at Rant Sports, a fantasy football profile for Denver Broncos rookie wide receiver Cody Latimer in 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/21/2014-fantasy-football-rookie-outlook-wr-cody-latimer/

Rant Sports.com: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire-Boston Red Sox SS Stephen Drew

My latest at Rant Sports, looking at Boston Red Sox SS Stephen Drew as an option for fantasy baseball owners.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/21/fantasy-baseball-add-ss-stephen-drew-now/

Monday, May 19, 2014

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Dynasty Radar-Colt Lyerla

 Here's my latest post at Rant Sports, attempting to pinpoint Colt Lyerla's fantasy football stock if he manages to stick with the Green Bay Packers.

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Vikings 2014 NFL Draft-Predicting the Impact of all 10 Picks

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, predicting the impact each player in the Minnesota Vikings' 2014 draft class could have.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/19/predicting-the-impact-of-every-minnesota-vikings-2014-nfl-draft-pick/

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Timberwolves-Kevin Love Should Be Traded Before He Becomes A Distraction

My latest post at Rant Sports, my take on the Kevin Love/Minnesota Timberwolves situation.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2014/05/19/minnesota-timberwolves-rumors-kevin-love-should-be-traded-as-soon-as-possible/

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Three True Outcome Percentage: A Sampling of Players

I've layed out the idea of "Three True Outcome Percentage" and focused on a team during this season, and now I have looked into players past and present to try and create a "sample size" and analyze TTOP at a higher level.
Once again,  a reminder of the formula for TTOP:
Strike outs +walks+ home runs÷plate appearances

Kirby Puckett: 965+450+207÷7831
Career TTOP= .207
Ricky Henderson: 1694+2190+297÷13346
Career TTOP= .313
Gary Sheffield: 1171+1475+509÷10947
Career TTOP= .288

Jose Canseco: 1942+906+462÷8129
Career TTOP= .407
Mark McGwire: 1596+1317+583÷7660
Career TTOP= .456
Sammy Sosa: 2306+929+609÷9896
Career TTOP= .388

Cecil Fielder: 1316+693+319÷5939
Career TTOP= .391
Prince Fielder: 1002+751+288÷5787
TTOP= .353

Harmon Killebrew: 1699+1559+573÷9833
Career TTOP= .389
Reggie Jackson: 2597+1375+563÷11418
Career TTOP= .397
Willie Mays: 1526+1464+660÷12496
Career TTOP= .292
Ted Williams: 709+2021+521÷9788
Career TTOP= .332

I've focused on retired players here, and a lot of Hall of Famers. I did find it worthwhile and interesting to compare Prince and Cecil Fielder to each other, and by coincidence they've had a similar number of career plate appearances (Prince through 5/15/14).


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Rant Sports.com: NFL Rumors-5 Teams That Should Have Interest in Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, offering five teams that should have interest in Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson if he is available.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/14/nfl-rumors-5-teams-that-should-show-interest-in-andre-johnson/#

Three True Outcome Percentage: The Minnesota Twins Edition

Back in April I threw out a theory about baseball's three true outcomes and made an attempt to put them together in a single statistic with Three True Outcome Percentage

In that piece I focused on Adam Dunn and Barry Bonds, in an attempt to give a shining example of a three-true-outcomes hitter in Dunn and how a hitter's three-true-outcomes may change over the course of a career with Bonds.

I'd like to now take it up a notch to teams, starting with the Minnesota Twins, and perhaps look at major league baseball as a whole by season's end in an attempt to determine if Three True Outcome Percentage helps separate good offensive teams from bad.



Without further ado, here are the Three True Outcome Percentages for some of the Twins' most notable hitters so far in 2014.

First, a reminder of the formula: Strikeouts+Walks+Home Runs/Plate Appearances= Three True Outcome Percentage

Joe Mauer: .358 (30 strikeouts+21 walks+2 home runs/148 PAs)
Brian Dozier: .394 (34+28+9/180)
Kurt Suzuki: .177 (8+13+1/124)
Jason Kubel: .444 (45+13+1/133)
Josmil Pinto: .414(25+18+5/116)
Chris Colabello: .391 (46+9+4/151)

Trevor Plouffe: .362 (40+18+1/163)
Aaron Hicks: .454 (27+17+1/99)

Pedro Florimon: .338 (18+7+0/74)
Eduardo Escobar: .236 (13+3+1/72)

Total Team TTOP: .359 (339+165+27/1478)

Takeaways/Other Notes:

- Hicks team-leading TTOP is driven by 17 walks, and his is a case where the "eye test" shows he has a long way to go as a major league hitter

-Suzuki's production (.314, 25 RBI) is not reflected in his TTOP, but a mark below .200 may be a sign of looming regression

- Dozier's TTOP is far above his batting average (.236), but serves as a relative median between his on-base percentage (.361) and slugging percentage (.439)

- Colabello's TTOP, along with his other traditional numbers, may continue to drop unless he takes more walks

- I went with a minimum of 60 plate appearances for this list, so Danny Santana, Sam Fuld, Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia don't qualify at this point but may as the season goes on and the plate appearance minimum is adjusted

Now's the time where I solicit feedback from you, the reader(s). Is there a direction you'd like to see me go with Three True Outcome Percentage? Some historical context, comparing past players to each other? Current players or teams compared to each other? Maybe a little of both?

Rant Sports: 2014 NFL Draft-Ranking the Houston Texans' Picks From Worst to First

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, ranking the Houston Texans' 2014 draft pick from worst to first.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/14/ranking-the-houston-texans-2014-draft-picks-from-worst-to-first/

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Rant Sports.com: Fantasy Football Rookie Outlook-Carolina Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin

My latest post at Rant Sports, taking a look at rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin's fantasy football outlook after landing with the Carolina Panthers.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/09/2014-fantasy-football-rookie-outlook-carolina-panthers-wr-kelvin-benjamin/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 NFL Draft-Anthony Barr is Not a Good Fit For the Minnesota Vikings

Check out my latest at Rant Sports, opining on why UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr is a bad fit for the Minnesota Vikings.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/08/2014-nfl-draft-anthony-barr-is-a-bad-fit-for-the-minnesota-vikings/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 Fantasy Football Rebound Radar-New England Patriots WR Danny Amendola

My latest post at Rant Sports, taking a look at New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola's chances to be a fantasy football stud in 2014.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/08/2014-fantasy-football-rebound-radar-danny-amendola/

Rant Sports.com: Five Things We've Learned About the Minnesota Twins

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, showing five things we've learned about the Minnesota Twins so far this season.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2014/05/08/five-things-weve-learned-about-the-minnesota-twins-early-this-season/

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Rant Sports.com: Green Bay Packers 2014 NFL Draft: TE Eric Ebron Is a Good First Round Option

Check out my latest at Rant Sports, making a case for North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron as the player the Green Bay Packers should be ok with landing in the first round.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/07/green-bay-packers-eric-ebron-wouldnt-be-the-worst-first-round-pick/

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Timberwolves-Should Mark Jackson Be the New Head Coach?

Here's one of my posts from Tuesday at Rant Sports, taking a look at Mark Jackson as a potential candidate to become head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nba/2014/05/06/minnesota-timberwolves-rumors-is-mark-jackson-now-the-top-option-to-replace-rick-adelman/

Rant Sports.com: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire-Miami Marlins P Henderson Alvarez

My latest post at Rant Sports, taking a look at Miami Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez as an option for fantasy baseball owners.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/fantasy/2014/05/07/fantasy-baseball-waiver-wire-miami-marlins-sp-henderson-alvarez/

Monday, May 5, 2014

Rant Sports.com: Minnesota Vikings Rumors-Could a Trade For Sam Bradford Be Coming?

Check out my latest post at Rant Sports, taking a closer look at the rumor from CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora on Monday suggesting the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams have talked about a trade involving quarterback Sam Bradford.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/05/minnesota-vikings-rumors-could-they-trade-for-a-former-no-1-overall-pick/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 NFL Draft Scouting Report-Baylor RB Lache Seastrunk

Check out my latest NFL Draft scouting report at Rant Sports, taking a look at Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/05/2014-nfl-draft-scouting-report-lache-seastrunk/

Rant Sports.com: 2014 NFL Draft-Five Minnesota Vikings Rumors to Know

Check out my latest slideshow at Rant Sports, looking at five draft-related rumors attached to the Minnesota Vikings.

Link: http://www.rantsports.com/nfl/2014/05/05/2014-nfl-draft-five-last-minute-minnesota-vikings-rumors-to-know-about/

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I am a sportswriter based in Minnesota, and I contribute currently to a few sports related websites. I intend to use this blog to create visibility for my work.

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